Astros Eye More Upgrades, Leaving A's with Little Margin in AL West

Contending in the AL West is a moving target

Aug 1, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros general manager Dana Brown speaks with media before the game against the Cleveland Guardians at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Athletics have a team that they're hoping will be able to compete for a spot in the postseason in 2026, bringing October baseball to Sacramento. The A's are projected to finish with a 79-83 record, which would have them within range of making that push, with a breakout season or two, and perhaps some additions to the pitching staff.

Yet, the A's are still projected by FanGraphs to finish in fourth place in the AL West, with both the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros projected for a 81-81 seasons. The Seattle Mariners are expected to finish at the top with an 87-win campaign, while the Los Angeles Angels are picked to finish last yet again, at 75-87.

The A's are right in the mix to challenge for second in the division, but they're also not too far off from finishing in fifth if things take a turn in the wrong direction.

After trading Jesús Sánchez to the Toronto Blue Jays forJoey Loperfido, and move the $6.8 million owed to Sánchez in the process, Astros GM Dana Brown told the Houston Chronicle that the team is "not done yet." At the same time, closer Josh Hader is dealing with biceps tendinitis, and is unsure for Opening Day.

Still, with the Astros clearing up a little payroll space and their GM stating that more moves are coming, Houston could be set to take another step in front of the A's. Given the standings projections, the A's could stand to make another addition themselves just to keep pace in a crowded AL West. The Astros could end up being the team between the A's and October in 2026.

A's in need of another addition to keep up, but where?

When looking at the A's lineup, there aren't really many areas that need improvement. One of the only two spots that could potentially be considered for upgrades would be third base, where they have three in-house options competing for playing time in Max Muncy, Darell Hernaiz and Brett Harris.

The other could be a platoon partner in right field for Lawrence Butler, who struggled against left-handers, but even that spot could be taken care of in-house with Colby Thomas. Comparing Thomas to free agent right fielders may be something we have to take a look at, if we're looking to comprise the best club possible in 2026.

The most obvious way the A's could end up getting better would be to add a little more reliever depth. While their bullpen ranked No. 2 in ERA with a 2.99 during the final two months of the season, they also ranked No. 13 in FIP with a 4.04, which means there could have been a little luck involved in the numbers they were putting up.

As a unit, the A's bullpen held an 80.1% left-on-base rate, which was the highest in MLB during that span. The San Diego Padres (with Mason Miller) ranked second at 78.4%, which is a pretty decent-sized gap. The league average during this time was just 72.8%, so was this a skill from the A's bullpen, or something they shouldn't necessarily rely upon in 2026?

Having some extra arms at the ready, just in case, could be useful for the A's—at least while they're figuring out who will be locking down the ninth inning for them. We saw last season how quickly a season could turn sour when the bullpen just isn't functioning, as the club went 1-20 in a three week stretch from May into June.

Now, this addition could come in the form of another flier pickup on a minor-league deal to give just another option to throw into the mix, or it could be adding someone like Michael Kopech, who is still a free agent and could have some late-inning upside when he's healthy.

Why not add to the rotation?

After the A's signed Aaron Civale this week, their rotation is pretty much set. Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs will be joined by Civale, plus whichever two arms claim the final spots in the rotation in camp.

In addition to the arms in the mix this spring, the A's also have a number of top prospects that have yet to make their MLB debuts, like Gage Jump, Kade Morris, Henry Baez and Jamie Arnold, that could also be in the mix for a spot in the starting five as the season continues.

Civale was the A's addition in the rotation, and now it's time for those pieces to fall where they may.